Folding chair.



1,-1ss,499. PatentedJune 2; 1916 F. SIMMONS.

FOLDING CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1913.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH col, WASHINGTQMD. I;-

UNITED STATES PATENT anion FINN SIMMONS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE K & S FURNITURE C YORK. Y

OMPANY, IN C., A CORPORATION.OF NEW FOLDING CHAIR.

Application filed September 11, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FINN SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have in vented a-certain new and useful Improvement in Folding Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates more particularly to a class of foldable furniture.

My invention has for its object primarily to provide a folding chair adapted for use at places when it is desired to arrange the chair into a compact parcel after being used so as to be portable or conveniently stored if desired as well as permitting a large number of the chairs to be readily transported in packages of comparatively limited sizes, and wherein is employed a substantially U-shaped seat-frame composed of two side members having the corresponding ends thereof pivoted to the ends of a transverse member so that the side members may be folded toward each other upon the transverse member.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a substantially U-shaped back having three arms which are pivoted together so as to be folded in a similar manner to the seatframe; to provide a substantially U-shaped supporting element having three bars pivoted together for being folded correspondingly to the seat-frame and which serve as the front legs of the chair; to provide retaining plates for pivotally connecting the seatfra1ne, the back and said leg together; to provide a second substantially U-shaped supporting element which is pivoted to the central part of the front legs and serves as the rear legs of the chair, these legs being composed of three bars pivoted together so as to be also folded to gether; and to provide two standards which are pivoted to the side bars of the front leg and adjustably held to the seat-frame for supporting said seat-frame when the chair is unfolded for use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible covering for the seatframe and back-frame of the chair, and.

which is adapted to be employedas a casing Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J 1111627, 1916.

Serial No. 789,277.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of folding chair embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the chair when the parts of the frame thereof are folded together. Fig. 3 is a view looking downward upon the seatframe of the chair with the flexible seat thereof clirected outwardly, and Fig.4 is a view of the folded frame of the chair showing the manner of wrapping the flexible seat thereof around the parts to form a casing.

The folding chair has a substantially U-shaped seat-frame 1O composed of two, side members, or bars '11 and 12, and to one of the corresponding ends of said side bars is pivoted a transverse bar 13. The opposite end of each of the side bars 11 and 12 is piv otally held centrally between the spaced side Adapted to be hingcdly swung to an overlapping position upon the seatfra me 10 1s,

a substantially U-shaped back-frame 18 having side arms 19 and 20, the lower ends of which are pivoted between the upper parts of the side walls of the retaining plates 16 and 17, andtothe opposite ends of said side arms are pivoted the ends of a transverse bar 21.

Hingedly movable to an overlapping position also upon the seat-frame 10 is a substantially U-shaped support 22 which serves as the front legs of the chair. The support 22 has side members 23 and 24, and to the lower ends of said side members is pivoted a transverse third member, or rod 25. The free ends of the side members of the front legs, or support 22 are pivoted between the both of which are similarly formed.

lower parts of the side walls of the retaining plates 16 and 17 so that by pivoting the seat-frame, the b,ack-fra1ne, and the front legs in this manner to the retaining plates these parts may be moved together, and by pivotally connecting the members of each part the side members thereof may be folded upon the transverse members by directing the side members relatively toward each other in overlapping arrangement.

Pivotally movable to rest against the underside of the front legs, or support 22 is a substantially U-shaped second support, as 26, which serves as the rear legs of the chair. The support, or rear legs 26 have side members 27 and 2S, and the lower ends of said side members are pivoted to a transverse member, or rod 29. The upper end of the side member 27 is pivoted approx mately centrally of the side member 23 of the front legs, and the upper end of the side member 28 is pivoted substantially centrally of the side member 24: of the front legs of the chair. The rear legs may thereby be swung so as to rest against the underside of the front legs 22, and the side members of the rear legs are also adapted to be relatively guided upon the transverse member thereof simultai'ieously with the folding of the frame-seat, the back-frame and the front legs of the chair, as above described.

Serving to hold the rear legs 26 in adjusted position, as shown in Fig. 1, when the chair is unfolded for use, I provide two foldable locking elements, as 30 and 31, Each of the locking elements is composed of two arms 32 and 33, and each pair of the arms have the opposite ends thereof pivoted to geth'er, at 3 The free ends of the arms of the elements are pivoted to the central aortion of the side members of the'rear 1 legs 26, and the free ends of the arms 33 of said elements are pivoted to the central parts of the side members of the front legs 22. T 0 fold the locking elements 30 and 31 the pivoted portions of the arms thereof are forced in an upwardly direction, and the rear legs may then be swung to abut against the fi ont legs. l'Vhen unfolding the parts of the chair for use the rear legs are rearwardly disposed of the front legs, and when adjusted the pivoted parts of the arms of the locking elements are directed downwardly so that the arms of each locking element are on alinement. The rear legs will then be held against accidental movement.

For the purpose of maintaining the seatframe 10 at a suitable height when the chair is unfolded, two hingedly adjustable standards, as 35 and 36, are provided. The lower ends of the standards 35 and 36 are pivoted to the front portions of the side members of the front legs 22, and upon the upper ends of the standards are provided. sleeves,

as 37 and 38. One of the sleeves 37 and 38 is slidably movable upon each of the side nembers of the seat-frame 10 so that by adjusting the sleeves upon the scat-frame the standards 35 and 36 will also be positioned for elevating, or lowering the seatframe to a suitable height. In folding the chair the sleeves 37 and 38 as well as the standards Sound 36 are guided in directions toward the retaining plates 16 and 17, and the front legs may then be moved against the seat-frame to permit the chair to be folded.

In order to hold the parts of the chair in their normal positions when unfolded. for use, and to prevent all tendency of the parts to collapse inwarr'ily, or move outwardly by the weightof the person using the chair, to the retaining plate 16 is pivotally held one end of atransverse rod 3i) having a hook 40 upon its other end. Upon the retaining plate 17 is provided an eye 41 which is in the path of movement of the hook 10 of the rod 39 for reception of the hook when the chair is unfolded. On folding the chair the rod 39 is moved to free its hook with the eye 41, and the rod is then swung inwardly between the seat-frame 10 so as to rest against one of its side members to permit the parts of the chair to be folded together.

Upon the top of the seat-frame 10 and upon the back-frame 18 of the chair is an adjustable covering 42 adapted to serve as a casing for the chair when folded as well as serving as the seat and back proper of the chair. The covering 42 is approximately rectangular in shape, and may be of canvas, or other suitable flexible material. One end of the covering 42 is fixedly attached to the transverse bar 21 of the back-frame 18, and the opposite end of said covering is secured to the transverse bar 13 0f the seat-frame 10. The side edges of the covering will thereby be normally free of connection with the seat-frame and the back-frame.

In order to detach-ably secure the side edges of the covering to the seat-frame and to the back-frame when the chair is'unfolded, at spaced intervals upon each side edge of the covering are anumber of hooks, as 4.3, and at spaced intervals transversely of the central part of the covering are also av number of corresponding hooks l-. N hen the parts of the chair are relatively arranged in unfolded positions the hooks 43 are dis posed overthe side memberslof the seatframe 10 and over the side members of the back-frame 1S, and the hooks H are guided over the rod 39. To fold the chair the books 43 and 4A are released from engagement with the seat-frame, with the back-frame, and with the rod 39. The covering is then directed outwardly from between the scatframe and theback-frame After the hook CJI 40'of the rod 39 is removed from the eye 41 the rod is swung inwardly between the seatframe, and the parts of the chair may be folded together as hereinbefore mentioned so as to be wrapped in the covering 42 which will then serve as a casing after the free part thereof is detachably secured to the body of the covering by any suitable means which may be provided upon said covering.

In the foregoing description, I have embodied the preferred form of myinvention, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I am aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the principle, or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention, therefore I reserve to myself the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent e 1. A folding chair of the character described, comprising two spaced retaining plates, a substantially U-shaped seat frame having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates, a substantially U-shaped back-frame having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates so as to be swung upon the seat-frame, substantially U-shaped front legs having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates so as to be also swung upon the seatframe, the back-frame, the seat-frame, and the front legs having their side members pivoted to the transverse members whereby the side members of each may be simultaneously moved to overlapping positions upon the transverse members thereof when the seatframe, the backframe, and the front legs are in abutting arrangement, substantially U-shaped rear legs having the free ends thereof pivoted to the front legs so as to be swung upon the front legs, the side members of said rear legs being pivoted to the transverse member thereof so as to be folded correspondingly to the folding of the front legs, the seatframe, and the back-frame, a

locking element removably held between the retaining plates to prevent the side members of the seat-frame, the back-frame and the front legs from collapsing or moving outwardly when the chair is unfolded, a substantially rectangular flexible seat having one of its ends secured to the transverse member of the back-frame, and having its other end secured to the transverse member of the seat-frame, and means provided upon the seat and serving to detachably fasten the sides of the seat to the side members of the seat-frame and to the side members of the back-frame.

2. A folding chair of the character described, comprising two spaced retaining plates substantially U-shaped, a substantially U-shaped seat-frame'having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates, a substantially U-shaped back-frame having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates so as to be swung upon the seatframe, substantially U-shaped front legs having the free ends thereof pivoted to the retaining plates so as to be swung upon the seat-frame, substantially U-shaped back legs having their free ends pivoted to the front legs so as to be swung upon the front legs, the seat-frame, the back-frame, the front legs and the back legs each respectively, having their side members pivoted to their respective transverse members whereby the side members may be simultaneously moved to overlapping positions upon the transverse members thereof when the seat-frame, the

back-frame, the front legs and the back legs are in abutting positions, a rod having one of its ends pivotally secured to one of the retaining plates and its other end adapted to be removablysecured to the other retaining plate whereby the side members are held from collapsing or "spreading apart when the chair is in use, hinged folding members provided upon the side members of the front legs and the back legs to prevent the front legs and back legs from spreading whenthe chair 1s m use, hinged standards provided upon the front legs and slidably connected to the side members of the seatframe to support the seat-frame when the chair is in use, and a flexible seat,

substantially as shown and described.

3. In a folding chalr of the character described, having two retaining members substantially U-shaped, a U-shaped seat-frame having its free ends pivoted in the retaining members, a U-shaped back-frame having its free ends pivoted in the retaining members so as to be swung upon the seat-frame, a iJ-shaped support adapted to serve as front legs, having its free ends pivoted in the retaining plates so as tobe swung upon the scat-frame, a U-shaped support adapted to serve as back legs having its free ends pivoted to the side members of the front legs so as to be swung upon the front-legs; the combination therewith of a plurality of corresponding pairs of elbow-joints adapted for pivotally connecting the side members of the U-shaped seat, the U-shaped back, the

seat-frame, the back-frame, and front, legs and back legs are in folded arrangement, one of each of said pairs of elbow o1nts having an extended arm for connecting with the side member on one side of each of the U-shaped frames and the U-shaped supports, whereby said pivotaljoint on one side of the frame is at a greater distance disposed in folded relation, substantially as from the transverse member of each respecshown and described. 10 the frame and support than the pivotal This specification signed and witnessed joint on the other side of the said frame, this tenth day of September, A. D. 1913.

.5 whereby the side members may be disposed FINN SIMMONS.

in overlapping relation parallel with the lVitnesses: transverse member when the seat-frame, Rom. B. ABBOTT, back-frame front legs and back legs are M. DERMQDY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.? 

